Opinion of political correctness

[RR1997]

HP.

I don't like political correctness. I wouldn't consider my self to be a politically correct person at all.

It also depends on the circumstances. Calling African-Americans 'black' is completely okay, and I hate it when people get offended over that. If we can't call African-Americans 'black', then the same logic should be applied to 'white' people. We should call 'white' people European-Americans or Caucasian-Americans. On the other hand, calling a whole group of people drug dealers and rapists is not okay.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either.

[Frodo]

I condemn it whether it comes from the left or the right.                       

[SWE]

Horrible, obviously. It's amazing just how many things trigger people nowadays. You can't even say something as innocuous as "Happy Holidays" anymore without offending someone.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Generally positive.

Like everything, it sometimes goes too far, but it's still far better than the alternatives.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Horrible, obviously. It's amazing just how many things trigger people nowadays. You can't even say something as innocuous as "Happy Holidays" anymore without offending someone.

I know you're being sarcastic of course, but I actually genuinely feel this way. "Political correctness" being attacked by the Right is actually kind of hilarious because they're among the biggest whiners whenever someone cops an attitude or uses the wrong words. Exhibit A: Trump whining about Megyn Kelly daring to ask him questions.

My position of course is that both camps who get whiny in this way are wrong and people should be able to say whatever they please. I don't draw any special exemption for myself, which is what almost everyone does when this topic comes up.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

My thoughts on this are rather complex, and I don't have time to write a 50-page dissertation on this at the moment, but this is a broad summary of my views on "political correctness."

On the one hand, I sympathize with the argument that a democracy can only function so long as citizens can speak their minds without fear of negative social or political repercussions. Whenever the majority becomes so rigid in its beliefs that it refuses to entertain alternative ideas or approaches, it is no longer possible to maintain a liberal democracy (this is one reason why the Civil War came about in the 1860s). If citizens are afraid to speak out for fear that their words will be offensive to those around them, then we have lost the opportunity to grow as a society. Confronting issues like racism, xenophobia, and the like is going to be hard, and we can't effectively address these issues if we're running from uncomfortable situations. In that sense, I feel like the activists calling for "safe spaces" and the like are misguided and immature.

On the other, my personal experience has been that many of those who complain about "political correctness" just want to say racist/sexist/bigoted things without having to deal with the fact that such is no longer socially acceptable. This isn't true of every opponent of political correctness, but it's true of enough people to be noticeable. I have very little sympathy for people who go off on rants about how 'minorities are lazy moochers' and 'God wants rape to happen' and then complain about the 'PC police' when people call them out on it. In these cases, my opposition to screaming racist/sexist/bigoted slurs has nothing to do with being "politically correct" and everything to do with my belief in the importance of not being an a$$h*le.

In short, I think both sides of this debate hold a fair mixture of respectable and absurd beliefs. I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe in being a decent human being, and I don't have a high opinion of those who use opposition to the former to justify noncompliance with the latter.

[Ljube]

The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either.

Plus it limits the freedom of speech. Political correctness is disgusting.

[YaBoyNY]

Political correctness according to the dictionary definition is obviously bad.

McCarthyism is a perfect example of how far it can go.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Valuable in some instances, but typically taken to extremes.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

People who complain about political correctness are always the biggest offenders of getting triggered at the drop of a hat e,g, "gamergate" having hissy fits every time their beloved vidya games, Ted Cruz literally crying because the media ask him hard questions etc.

That said "political correctness" and "SJW" seems to used as a fancy euphemism  for "culturally marxist" (itself a fancy euphemism for "damn Jews!" so I don't use the phrase too much.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

oh yes nearly forgot

Calling African-Americans 'black' is completely okay, and I hate it when people get offended over that. If we can't call African-Americans 'black', then the same logic should be applied to 'white' people. We should call 'white' people European-Americans or Caucasian-Americans. On the other hand, calling a whole group of people drug dealers and rapists is not okay.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Political correctness is okay while used in moderate scale and not as a political tool.
Both politicians who want to get popularity while being not politically correct (vide - Korwin Mikke in Poland) and those who tries to shut mouths of political opponents while they are saying some strongly "argumented" things which are just uncomfortable for them are just sad and even kinda pathetic to some extend.

[This account no longer in use.]

It depends on the circumstances. Likewise, it is important to remember that political correctness can come from the left, right, and center.

[OSR stands with Israel]

HP

[Goldwater]

My position of course is that both camps who get whiny in this way are wrong and people should be able to say whatever they please. I don't draw any special exemption for myself, which is what almost everyone does when this topic comes up.

Yeah, same here. I think people in general are too easily offended.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Like libertarianism, it doesn't exist outside of college campuses and the internet; it's a fiction created and used by people with persecution complexes.

[Kingpoleon]

People getting offended by Happy Holidays! or Merry Christmas! is silly. Both, tilt HP. Voted Horrible

[ElectionsGuy]

HG, used to limit expression/speech mostly over thin-skinned crybabies, but also used by its opponents as an excuse for prejudiced ideas.

Like libertarianism, it doesn't exist outside of college campuses and the internet; it's a fiction created and used by people with persecution complexes.

Oh, didn't know I have a 'persecution complex'

[RR1997]

oh yes nearly forgot

Calling African-Americans 'black' is completely okay, and I hate it when people get offended over that. If we can't call African-Americans 'black', then the same logic should be applied to 'white' people. We should call 'white' people European-Americans or Caucasian-Americans. On the other hand, calling a whole group of people drug dealers and rapists is not okay.

I can't see the picture. What does it say?

[Boston Bread]

Voted FF since it is the politically incorrect view on this forum.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either.

[Comrade Funk]

The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Obviously the people who complain about 'political correctness' are worse than what they're complaining about, but this thread does give me an opportunity to share the hilarious fact that when a class I'm taking watched Son of Man, a South African Jesus movie with an all-black cast, a few weeks ago, one student, a middle-aged white guy who goes to the ultra-liberal Andover Newton Theological School and is taking this class through the Boston Theological Institute, couldn't bring himself to say 'black' and kept describing the South African, Xhosa-speaking cast first as 'African-American' and then as 'of color'.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Obviously the people who complain about 'political correctness' are worse than what they're complaining about, but this thread does give me an opportunity to share the hilarious fact that when a class I'm taking watched Son of Man, a South African Jesus movie with an all-black cast, a few weeks ago, one student, a middle-aged white guy who goes to the ultra-liberal Andover Newton Theological School and is taking this class through the Boston Theological Institute, couldn't bring himself to say 'black' and kept describing the South African, Xhosa-speaking cast first as 'African-American' and then as 'of color'.

lol. But no mention of cultural appropriation.